TECHNICAL WHITEPAPER

Default Implementation

Pipe Network Annotation

An Alternative Implementation of Pipe Networks

Object Layers

Pipe and Structure Styles — Storm

Pipe and Structure Styles — Sanitary

Pipe and Structure Display Settings

Parts Lists

Label Styles

Summary

In This IssuePipe Networks in Civil 3D use a default pipe network layer set that is for storm water sewer systems. With this default network type, when you create a network other than storm water, you must change the network layers to match the pipe network type. If the pipe network is a sanitary network, you must set the pipe network layers to the sanitary sewer layers. If you include existing and proposed networks, you potentially have four network types and four layer sets. This means you must change the default layers for each pipe network when it is not a storm network. When you change the layers for the network, draft the network, and exit the pipe network creation command, all of the layers reset themselves to the storm layers. If the next network is not a storm pipe network, you again must set the layers to match the next network type. This process is tedious and time consuming when trying to draft different pipe networks.

There is an alternative method of implementing pipe network layers and when used, you do not need to set the network’s layers before drafting the next pipe network. However, creating this implementation does require you to define more pipe and structure styles. This is a relatively small price to pay for having to set layers or forgetting to set layers each time you create a new pipe network. Once the alternative strategy is implemented you will never have to switch layers again. The alternative method is defined in your template file.

Default Implementation

Civil 3D’s default pipe network implementation uses object layers entries to assign base layers to a pipe network. As noted above, the default layers are for a storm water sewer pipe network. See Figure 1.

An Alternative Implementation of Civil 3D Pipe Networks

Figure 1 – Pipe Network Default Layers

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When the next pipe network is not a storm system, you set the appropriate network layers in the Create Pipe Network dialog box, see Figure 2. This dialog box is a subset of the Create Pipe Network dialog box. Again, when exiting the create pipe network command, the layers reset to the storm layers for the next pipe network.

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Figure 2 – Pipe Network Layers Dialog Box

If the pipe network layers are not set, a sanitary pipe network would use the default storm layers. See Figure 3. Both pipes and structures will list as a sanitary network style with its pipes and structures on the default storm layers.

Figure 3 – Sanitary Pipe Network with Default Storm Layers

Pipe Network Annotation

Pipe network annotation follows the same defaults other Civil 3D labels use; a style specified layer. This layer is a generic layer and ALL pipe networks will use the same layer for their labels. See Figure 1. As a result, you cannot isolate one network’s labels from another by using that layer’s on/off property.

In an alternate implementation, it is useful to have each pipe network’s annotation on its own annotation layer that is related to the network it annotates. An associated annotation layer allows the labels to show or hide independent from other network labels. The network specific label layer is a function of the Object Layer list and the alternative implementation method uses this layer for its labels.

If you create existing and proposed pipe networks the only implemented styles that come with Civil 3D are for proposed storm and sanitary networks. If you create existing storm and sanitary pipe networks, you also need to define the styles and parts lists for those pipe network types.

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An Alternative Implementation of Pipe Networks

The alternative implementation of pipe networks layers creates generic layer names that are suffixed by the name of the pipe network. This alternative implementation places structures, pipes, and labels on layers specific to the pipe network. Each network’s annotation is on a network specific layer and can be hidden or displayed separately from other networks by using layer on/off properties.

To implement this alternative method, you create pipe and structure styles that use color and linetype OVERRIDES instead of using the ByLayer property. The color and linetype overrides are assigned in the pipe and structure styles’ Display panel. The color and linetype overrides make the pipes and structures display different colors and linetypes even though they are on generic drawing layers.

To begin this alternative implementation, in Layer Properties Manager, you RENAME the storm layers to their generic layer names. After renaming the storm layers, you assign a suffix and a suffix value in Settings’ Edit Drawing Settings’ Object Layer panel. The suffix value is a -* (dash followed by an asterisk). This value creates a new layer set whose last value is the pipe network’s name, e.g. the pipe network PSAN1 will create a pipe layer whose name is C-PIPENET-PIPE-PSAN1. See Figure 4.

Figure 4 – Object Layers Names for a Suggested Alternative Civil 3D Implementation

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Object Layers

How do you create a new object layer list when there are styles using the current storm layer list? The alternative strategy is implemented not by creating and assigning new layers. Rather to implement the strategy is to RENAME the storm layers in Layer Properties Manager. Figure 1 lists the original default layer list. Figure 4 shows the renamed layers displaying in Edit Drawing Settings’ Object Layers list. The layer renaming process replaces STRM with PIPENET. The following table, Table 1, lists the layers that you rename before starting the process of creating the pipe, structure, and label styles.

Original Layer Name Renamed Layer NameC-STRM-PIPE C-PIPENET-PIPE

C-STRM-PIPE-TEXT C-PIPENET-PIPEC-STRM-TABL C-PIPENET-TABLC-STRM-SCTN C-PIPENET-SCTNC-STRM-PROF C-PIPENET-PROFC-STRM-STRC C-PIPENET-STRCC-STRM-TEXT C-PIPENET-TEXT

TABLE 1

Table 2 lists the original storm layers that also need to be renamed to the generic PIPENET. These layers are NOT a part of the object layer list. You also RENAME these layers in Layer Property Manager before making the pipe and structure styles. These layers are used by the pipe and structure styles, but are not a part of the object layer list.

Original Layer Name Renamed Layer NameC-STRM-CNTR C-PIPENET-CNTR

C-STRM-PIPE-PATT C-PIPENET-PIPE-PATTC-STRM-STRC-PATT C-PIPENET-STRC-PATT

TABLE 2

After you rename the layers in Layer Properties Manager, you must close down Layer Properties Manager, save and then exit the template. It might be best to close down Civil 3D completely. Then restart the program and reopen the template. The new layers do not automatically appear in the object layer list or styles after you rename them. You need to exit and reload the template file for the new layers to appear in the Object Layers panel and in the pipe and structure styles.

Pipe and Structure Styles — Storm

Civil 3D’s installed pipe and structure storm styles represent a proposed storm network.

The original storm pipe and structure styles will automatically have the new layers. The reason for this is these styles referenced the original pipe layers (C-STRM-) that were renamed to C-PIPENET-. Their new layers will use C-PIPENET- suffixed by the name of the pipe network. All that is left to complete the pipe and structure styles definitions, is to assign color and linetype Overrides.

After making these changes to the proposed storm pipe and structure styles, copy the redefined storm pipe and structure styles to create the existing storm pipe and structure styles. To do this, rename the new pipe and structure styles to existing storm or appropriate names and change their color and linetype override to make the existing storm pipes and structures to display the correct color and linetype.

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Figure 5 – Pipe Style Color Assignments – Existing Storm Sewer Pipe

Pipe and Structure Styles — Sanitary

Civil 3D’s installed pipe and structure sanitary styles represent a proposed sanitary network.

The original sanitary pipe and structure styles still reference the original SSWR layers. These sanitary pipe and structure styles must have their layers reassigned to the new generic layers. After assigning the appropriate layers to these proposed sanitary pipe and structure styles, you need to assign the appropriate color and/or linetype overrides.

After making these changes to the proposed sanitary pipe and structure styles, copy the redefined sanitary pipe and structure styles to create the existing sanitary pipe and structure styles. To do this, rename the pipe and structure styles to existing sanitary or appropriate names and change their color and linetype override to make the existing sanitary pipes and structures to display the correct color and linetype.

Pipe and Structure Display Settings

Figures 5 and 6 show the color override assignments for an existing storm and a proposed sanitary system. The color override assignment is necessary because of the use of a generic layer for all pipe networks. These color/linetype over-rides make the style display the correct colors/linetypes.

Figure 6 – Structure Color Assignments – Proposed Sanitary Sewer Manhole

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Parts Lists

The creation of Parts Lists combines the pipe and structures styles to define the Existing and Proposed Storm and Sanitary elements in each pipe network type. Each parts list identifies the styles and sizes used to draft a network.

You MUST review all assigned pipe and structure styles, there are errors in the style assignments for some of the part lists entries.

To assign a style to the entry list, click the floppy symbol at the top of the list. To assign individual styles click to an entry, click the entry’s style assignment icon.

Figure 7 shows the entries for an Existing Sanitary Sewer parts list.

Figure 7 – Existing Sanitary Sewer Parts List – Pipes

Figure 8 – Existing Sanitary Sewer Parts List – Structures

Figure 9 – Proposed Storm Sewer Parts List – Pipes

Figure 10 – Proposed Storm Sewer Parts List – Structures

Figure 8 shows the settings for the Existing Sanitary Sewer Structure and styles parts list.

Figure 9 shows the Pipes Parts List for a Proposed Storm Sewer network.

Figure 10 show the parts for the Structure Parts List for a Proposed Storm Sewer pipe network.

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Label Styles

To make the pipe and structure label styles use the alternative implementation’s object layers’ text layers, each label style must have the layer set to layer 0 (zero) or the new generic text layer. This value is set in the style’s General tab’s Label section’s Layer property. See Figures 11 and 12. When you create a pipe network label and the label style’s label layer is set to 0 (zero), the label looks at the Object Layers list’s text layer and uses that layer for the label. Remember in this implementation, the label’s layer is also appended with the name of the pipe network you are labeling.

Figure 11 – Pipe Label Assigned the Generic Label Layer

Figure 12 – Structure Label Assigned Layer 0 (zero)

In the Edit Drawing Settings, Object Layer list, the text layer is defined with a root layer suffixed by the name of the pipe network, e.g. the ExSan - 1 pipe network will have its pipe and structure labels on C-PIPENET-TEXT-ExSan - 1. See Figure 4.

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The result of the implementation puts each pipe network and its labels automatically on its own layers. See Figures 13 and 14.

Figure 13 – Pipe Network Objects’ LayersFigure 14 – Pipe Network Label Layers

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Summary

The default pipe network implementation requires you to change pipe network layers for each pipe network that is not a proposed storm sewer network. The create pipe network routine does not retain the changed layers and resets them to the default storm sewer layers.

The reviewed alternative creates a generic layer list that appends as a suffix the name of the pipe network. By using this method, you do not have to change any layers prior to creating a network. The network’s layer will be the network’s name appended to the layer.

To implement this strategy, you MUST rename the original STRM layers, save the template, close Civil 3D, and then restart it. This makes the renamed layer appear in the Object Layers’ list and pipe and structure styles.

The original pipe and structure styles represent a proposed pipe network. After renaming the object layers, the next step is to assign the correct colors and linetypes to these original proposed storm and sanitary styles. After modifying these styles, they need to be copied and assigned the appropriate names, colors, and linetypes for existing storm and sanitary systems.

All of these actions should be done in the company’s template.

About the Author: Phil Zimmerman

A solutions consultant with IMAGINiT, Phil provides training, support and consulting on many of the Autodesk infrastructure programs. His experience includes drafting and CAD Management of a mapping department.

Phillip began teaching AutoCAD®, Map. Land Desktop, and Raster Design courses in 1990, while providing support for the same applications. At that time, he mainly supported surveyors by downloading data collectors and processing survey field data.

Working for Autodesk, Phil demonstrated and provided internal support for many of their infrastructure design solutions. As an Autodesk Product Manager, he researched infrastructure solutions markets and wrote strategy documents.